Peace is our birthright

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A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”  (Mark 4:37-41)

Today, I just want to talk a little bit about peace. Without peace, I cannot even begin to fully experience the joy of this life gifted to me.  Peace is not something I create; it is something I receive and allow to come into my life. The way we do this is not by analyzing, worrying, trying to figure it out, fixing, manipulating, setting up defenses, punishing, judging, living in guilt, condemning . . . Rather, we are instructed to "not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  

You see, God has given us the power to quiet the storms within --  the storms ruling our minds and emotions.  But just as the disciples were commanded, to calm the storms, we must get quiet. In the stillness of God, we have nothing to fear.

As the Psalm tell us, "When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God."   It is in the sanctuary that I receive the peace of God, gifted to us by Him and in Him.  In his rest lies our salvation.  In His rest we will never be shaken.  In His rest we have strength.  In His rest we are protected.  In His rest we have hope.  In His rest we find beauty. In His rest we live in unity.  In His rest is refuge from everything that we allow to diminish us. 

Peace is our birthright.  It is time we claim our inheritance.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”. . .  He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.  A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. . . .  If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling,  no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.  For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;  they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.  You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.  “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.  With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (Psalm 91)